There’s been a lot of buzz recently around IUCN. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ has launched a new campaign – this time to benefit bumblebees. In Europe, there are 68 species of bumblebee, of which a whopping 24% are threatened with extinction. This is alarming as bumblebees are critical in protecting our food security through the pollination of crops such as tomatoes, peppers, and other fruits and vegetables. …

By Claire Warmenbol. Did you know that the world today creates as much data in 10 minutes as in all of human history up until the year 2003? That is a lot of information. Amongst all this noise, how do environmental messages stand a chance of being heard? Or better, to have an impact and instigate change? …

The European Union joined the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) on 8 July 2015. The Convention – which was launched in 1975 as an international agreement – ensures that the trade of more than 35,000 species of animals and plants is conducted in a legal and sustainable manner. …

The World Heritage listed Lena Pillars Nature Park in the Russian Federation has been increased by 9% after the World Heritage Committee followed IUCN’s recommendation to approve a change in the site’s boundaries. …

Deforestation accounts for nearly 20% of global greenhouse gas emissions and is also strongly linked to development issues, as healthy forests are vital in the fight against poverty. Forest and landscape restoration initiatives offer significant benefits for climate change adaptation and mitigation, and are also an efficient means of generating income for local communities, improving rural livelihoods and preserving cultural traditions. They provide solutions to balancing conflicting land use interests in forest areas and can reconcile environmental concerns with economic development. …

The private sector has a fundamental role to play in mitigating the effects of our economic activities on the environment. While the corporate impact on the depletion of Europe’s natural capital remains substantial, there are a number of positive examples from both SMEs and large multinationals from a variety of sectors that deploy innovative technologies and create best practices to lessen their footprint on the environment, and help reach the EU’s Biodiversity Targets. Some such approaches by progressive businesses include Natural Capital Accounting, Green Infrastructure, and restoration of degraded landscapes. …

According to the United Nations, World Oceans Day is about a healthy planet being based on healthy oceans – so true and in so many ways! The ecological pressures on Earth’s oceans are as diverse and daunting as the storms that can roll across its blue horizons. But there is hope rolling in the deep! Days like today can catalyse, unite and promote efforts to save these, our blue lungs, from ourselves. …

Protected areas are and must remain at the heart of all nature conservation efforts if global and regional biodiversity and sustainable development targets are to be met.
More than 200 experts from five continents gathered at the “Little Sydney: Protecting Nature in Europe” conference in the medieval town of Hainburg, Austria, from 28-31 May 2015, to showcase and discuss original approaches for protected areas and nature conservation in Europe. Building on the outcomes of the IUCN World Parks Congress 2014, Little Sydney proved to be of the milestone international events on protected areas in Europe this year.
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